KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates

"Yorokobi no Uta"
KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates
Studio album by KAT-TUN
Released	June 4, 2008
Recorded	2007–2008
Genre	Pop, rock
Length	60:57 [1] [2]
Label	J-One ; JACA-5099~5100 (Limited Edition); JACA-5101 (Regular Edition)
Producer	Johnny H. Kitagawa (executive), Julie K.
KAT-TUN chronology
Singles from KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates
	"Yorokobi no Uta"; Released: June 6, 2007; "Keep the Faith"; Released: November 21, 2007; "Lips"; Released: February 6, 2008;

Last updated April 13, 2019

KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates is the third studio album by Japanese boy band KAT-TUN and was released in Japan on June 4, 2008 by J-One Records. The album was issued in two editions; the limited edition came with four bonus tracks, a DVD with an extended version of the music video for their 2008 single "Don't U Ever Stop" and a short film chronicling the making of the video.^[1]^[2]

A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation, singing love songs marketed towards young women. Being vocal groups, most boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on stage, making the term something of a misnomer. However, exceptions do exist. Many boy bands dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances.

KAT-TUN is a Japanese boy band formed under Johnny & Associates (Johnny's) in 2001. The group's name was originally an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Their debut on March 22, 2006 was marked by a tripartite release of a CD single, album and music DVD on their exclusive record label J-One Records. Since then, all of their single, album and music DVD releases have debuted at number one on the Oricon music and DVD charts.

J Storm, Inc. is a Japanese music and film company owned by Johnny & Associates. It was established on November 12, 2001, initially as a label for the Johnny's group, Arashi, after which it was named.

KAT-TUN began issuing singles from the album nearly a year before it was released; "Yorokobi no Uta", "Keep the Faith" and "Lips" all reached number one on the Oricon singles chart. The album itself became KAT-TUN's tenth consecutive chart-topper since their debut in 2006 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in June 2008.^[3]

"Yorokobi no Uta" is the fourth overall single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the first from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates. The single was released in two editions; a regular edition with the songs and its instrumental versions and a limited edition with a DVD of the music video.

Keep the Faith (KAT-TUN song) 2007 single by KAT-TUN

"Keep the faith" is the fifth overall single by the Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the second from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates. It was released in three editions with three different covers; the regular edition contains all the songs and its instrumental versions, the first press edition came with a bonus track entitled "Lovin'U" and its instrumental track and the second limited edition was packaged with a DVD with the single's music video and a short film about the making of the music video.

Lips (KAT-TUN song) 2008 single by KAT-TUN

"Lips" is the sixth single by Japanese boy band, KAT-TUN, and the third and last song to be commercially released from their third studio album, KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates. The single was released in three editions and as such, there are three different covers; the regular edition contains the title track, the B-side and its instrumental tracks, the first press edition came with a bonus track entitled "Message for You" and its instrumental version and the second limited edition was packaged with a DVD with the music video and a short film about the making of the PV.

According to Oricon, the album is the 35th best-selling album of 2008.^[4]

Album information

The album was recorded in Tokyo and at the NRG Recording Studios in Los Angeles. With the exception of Koki Tanaka who composed his own rap verses, it is the first album to not feature any songs written by KAT-TUN. The album's musical styles consist mostly of hard rock, pop and dance.^[5] KAT-TUN employed a variety of songwriters with a history of producing hit singles to helm the record. The former lead vocalist of acclaimed rock band Boøwy, Kyosuke Himuro, composed the second single "Keep the Faith" with frequent KAT-TUN collaborator, Spin. Akio Shimizu, guitarist for heavy metal band Anthem and lyricist of Tokio's 2006 number one single "Mr. Traveling Man",^[6] co-wrote "Ai no Command" with N.B.Comics. The latter penned the first single "Yorokobi no Uta". Erykah, who wrote KAT-TUN's kōhai Hey! Say! 7's 2007 number one debut single "Hey! Say!",^[7] composed the last track of the regular edition, "Nannen Tattemo". Narumi Yamamoto, the lyricist who co-wrote hit singles for Kou Shibasaki and Yuna Ito, also contributed a song to the album with the tenth track, "Our Story: Prologue"."Six Senses", a song KAT-TUN had been performing since their junior days, was also recorded for the first time and included as a bonus track.

NRG Recording Studios is a recording facility located in North Hollywood, California that was created by producer and mixer Jay Baumgardner in 1992.

Koki Tanaka is a Japanese singer–songwriter, actor and former Japanese idol. He was a member of Jpop idol boy band KAT-TUN from their debut until September 30, 2013 when his contract with Johnny & Associates was terminated. When he was a member of KAT-TUN, he was recognized as the rapper in the group and has a hip-hop-influenced style. Out of the other members, Tanaka was most often paired up with Yuichi Nakamaru and they even formed a comedy duo 'TaNaka'. After leaving Johnny & Associates, Tanaka formed a new rock band called INKT.

Hard rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music that began in the mid-1960s, with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. It is typified by a heavy use of aggressive vocals, distorted electric guitars, bass guitar, drums, and often accompanied with keyboards.

Promotion

Tanaka, Junnosuke Taguchi, Yuichi Nakamaru and Tatsuya Ueda began playing a minute and a half long previews of several tracks of the album on their respective radio shows, KAT-TUN Style and R-One KAT-TUN, from May 21–28, 2008. The songs that were leaked were: "Taboo", "Mother/Father", "Affection: Mō Modorenai", "Hell, No", "Un" and "Distance".

Junnosuke Taguchi in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan), is a singer-songwriter, actor, and model. He also previously worked as a Japanese idol and radio host as a former member of KAT-TUN.

Yūichi Nakamaru, is a Japanese idol, singer-songwriter, actor, television personality, radio host, and a member of KAT-TUN.

Tatsuya Ueda, is a Japanese idol, singer, and actor from the Japanese idol group KAT-TUN. Born in Kanagawa in Japan, he joined the Japanese talent agency, Johnny & Associates in 1998. In March 2006 he debuted as a member of the Japanese boy band KAT-TUN and is under Johnny & Associates management. The group's name was an acronym based on the first letter of each member's family name until the departure of Jin Akanishi in 2010, and Koki Tanaka in 2013. Junnosuke Taguchi left the band a well in 2016. After Tanaka's and Taguchi's withdrawal, Ueda took the T's for TaTsuya. As of 2016, KAT-TUN stands for Kazuya KAmenashi, TaTsuya Ueda, and Yuichi Nakamaru. Ueda is very athletic, and his favorite hobbies include Boxing and running.

Chart performance

In its first week of release, KAT-TUN III -Queen of Pirates- sold 240,317 copies, a slight drop from the first-week sales of the group's second album. Despite the downward pattern of sales for KAT-TUN's studio albums, the singles from the album which were all released months in advance had already racked up over a million shipments altogether by the time the album was available in stores. KAT-TUN debuted at number 1 for the tenth consecutive time (albums and singles combined) and became one of only four groups in Japanese music history to reach this record; the others being Johnny & Associates labelmates, NEWS, KinKi Kids and the disbanded Hikaru Genji.

Johnny & Associates is a Japanese talent agency, formed by Johnny Kitagawa in 1962, which trains and promotes groups of male entertainers known as Johnny's.

KinKi Kids are a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name. KinKi Kids hold the Guinness World Records for having the most number of consecutive No.1 singles since debut.

Hikaru Genji was a Japanese musical idol group named after the character Hikaru Genji of The Tale of Genji. They were managed by Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates from 1987 to 1995.

The album stayed on the Oricon albums chart for five weeks and has sold over 282,402 copies to date.^[8] The album was the twenty-fifth best-selling album for the first half of the year and RIAJ certified it platinum denoting more than 250,000 shipments.^[3]^[9]^[10]

Track listing

"Taboo" (Masanco, M.Y) - 3:20
"Keep the Faith" (Kyosuke Himuro, Spin, Joker, Ha-j) - 3:45
"Affection: Mō Modorenai(Affection ～もう戻れない～)" (Soba, Erik Lidbom) - 3:34
"Hell, No" (Yuki Shirai, Mika Arata, Joker, Steven Lee, Joey Carbone) - 3:58
"Distance" (Gin.K, Erik Lidbom) - 3:08
"Mother/Father" (Ami, Joker, Yoshinao Mikami, A.k.a.) - 4:14
"Lips" (Axel-G, Joker, Yukihide "YT" Takiyama) - 4:16
"Yorokobi no Uta" (N.B.Comics, Joker, Zero-rock, Gin.K) - 3:59
"Un" (Hidenori Tanaka, Kōsuke Noma) - 4:45
"Our Story: Prologue(Our Story ～プロローグ～,Our Story: Purorōgū)" (Narumi Yamamoto, Erik Lidbom) - 3:47
"Nannen Tattemo(何年たっても)" (Erykah, Joker, Mike Rose, Masayuki Iwata) - 4:56
"Shot!"¹(Ami, Yoshinao Mikami, Dreadstore Cowboy) - 3:57
"12 o'clock'"¹(A.k.a., Joker, Mike Rose) - 4:19
"Ai no Command(愛のコマンド,Love's Command)"¹(Akio Shimizu, N.B. Comics, Joker) - 4:17
"Six Senses"¹(Joker, Yokono Kōhei, Peter Funk) - 4:39

¹Limited edition bonus tracks.
DVD track listing

"Don't U Ever Stop: Limited Edition" (Extended music video)
"Don't U Ever Stop" (Making of)

Sales and certifications

Country	Provider	Sales	Certification
Japan	RIAJ	282,402	Platinum

Credits

Recording staff

Producer: Julie K.
Executive producer: Johnny H. Kitagawa
Recording engineers: Yuji Oshima, Takashi Inoue, Teturo Takeuchi, Shigeru Tanida and Dan "mfdc" Certa
Assistant engineers: Yoko Sato, Fumi Shinohara, Shinya Matsuo, Hiroshi Abe and Dave Colvin
Mixing: Yuji Oshima, Teturo Takuechi and Hiroshi Yokote
Mastering: Stephen Marcussen
Management: Yukihide "YT" Takiyama (for Los Angeles recording staff)
Recording studios (Tokyo): Warner Music Recording Studio, Victor Studio, Sony Studio, 603 Studio, On Air Azabu Studio, Sound City
Recording studios (Los Angeles): NRG Recording Studios

Art staff

Art director: Nagi Noda
Designer: Atsushi Ishiguro
Photographer: Shoji Uchida
Stylists: Noriko Takahashi and Keiko Saito
Hair & make-up: Koichi Toyofuku, Yoshinori Takeuchi, Chiemi Oshima and Asami Nemoto
Special effects: Shinichi Wakasa and Trigon Graphics Service

Music personnel

Performers: Kazuya Kamenashi, Jin Akanishi, Junnosuke Taguchi, Koki Tanaka, Tatsuya Ueda and Yuichi Nakamaru
Bass: Ha-j, Billy Sheehan, Takeshi Taneda, Hitoki, Yuichi Takama and Nathan East
Drums: Masafumi Minato, Carmine Appice, Hideo Yamaki, Simon Phillips, Koji Hasegawa, Turkey, John JR Robinson and Dave Weck
Guitars: Yukihide "YT" Takiyama, George Lynch, Naoki Hayashibe, Rui Momota, Michael Thompson and Akio Shimizu
Keyboards: M.Y, Ha-j, Erik Lidbom, Steven Lee, Yoshinao Mikami, Gin.K, Kousuke Noma, Masayuki Iwata, Dreadstore Cowboy, Mike Rose, Akio Shimizu and peter funk
Programming: ha-j, Erik Lidbom, Steven Lee, A.k.a., Keita Kawaguchi, Masayuki Iwata, Dreadstore Cowboy, Mike Rose, Akio Shimizu and peter funk
Saxophone: Ayako
Song co-ordination: Joey Carbone
Turn tables: Koba Da Beat

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References

1 2 Album Details - KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- (Regular Edition), JBOOKS. Retrieved on August 4, 2008.
1 2 Album Details - KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- (Limited Edition), JBOOKS. Retrieved on August 4, 2008.
1 2 Recording Industry Association of Japan: June 2008; retrieved on August 5, 2008.
↑ 年間ランキング特集『2008年オリコン年間ランキング大発表！』 (in Japanese). Oricon. 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2010-08-21.
↑ KAT-TUN III QUEEN OF PIRATES Regular Edition, CDJapan; retrieved on August 5, 2008.
↑ Mr. Traveling Man: profile, Wiki.theppn; retrieved on August 5, 2008
↑ Hey! Say!: profile, Wiki.theppn; retrieved on August 5, 2008.
↑ Oricon Chart Weekly
↑ 2008 Oricon Top 100 Albums: Half Year, Wiki.theppn, Oricon; retrieved on August 5, 2008.
↑ Charts: KAT-TUN, GReeeeN still hot, Tokyograph, Oricon; retrieved on August 5, 2008.

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[QoP1-1] 1 2 Album Details - KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- (Regular Edition), JBOOKS. Retrieved on August 4, 2008.

[QoP2-2] 1 2 Album Details - KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- (Limited Edition), JBOOKS. Retrieved on August 4, 2008.

[QoP3-3] 1 2 Recording Industry Association of Japan: June 2008; retrieved on August 5, 2008.

[4] 年間ランキング特集『2008年オリコン年間ランキング大発表！』 (in Japanese). Oricon. 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2010-08-21.

[5] KAT-TUN III QUEEN OF PIRATES Regular Edition, CDJapan; retrieved on August 5, 2008.

[6] Mr. Traveling Man: profile, Wiki.theppn; retrieved on August 5, 2008

[7] Hey! Say!: profile, Wiki.theppn; retrieved on August 5, 2008.

[QoP8-8] Oricon Chart Weekly

[9] 2008 Oricon Top 100 Albums: Half Year, Wiki.theppn, Oricon; retrieved on August 5, 2008.

[10] Charts: KAT-TUN, GReeeeN still hot, Tokyograph, Oricon; retrieved on August 5, 2008.

v t e KAT-TUN
Kazuya Kamenashi Tatsuya Ueda Yuichi Nakamaru
Former members	Jin Akanishi Koki Tanaka Junnosuke Taguchi
Studio albums	Best of KAT-TUN Cartoon KAT-TUN II You KAT-TUN III: Queen of Pirates Break the Records: By You & For You No More Pain Chain Come Here
Mini albums	Kusabi
Singles	"Real Face" "Signal" "Bokura no Machi de" "Yorokobi no Uta" "Keep the Faith" "Lips" "Don't U Ever Stop" "White X'mas" "One Drop" Rescue" "Love Yourself (Kimi ga Kirai na Kimi ga Suki)" "Going!" "Change Ur World" "Ultimate Wheels" "White" "Run For You" "Birth" "To the Limit" "Fumetsu no Scrum" "Expose" "Face to Face" "In Fact" "Dead Or Alive" "Kiss Kiss Kiss" "Tragedy" " Unlock"
Full discography